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As we have written about in previous articles, Preview is a valuable tool in OS X that does not get a lot of press. In this article, we will review how you can use Preview to capture your signature using the iSight camera on a Mac, then use it in Pages documents, to sign PDF documents, and as an image in your signature in the Mail app.

Open the Preview App and capture your signature
If you already have a PDF that you’d like to sign, double-click on it to open it in Preview. Then click on the Pen icon near the top right, select the Sig icon, and choose “Create Signature from Built-in iSight…”.

Alternatively, if you don’t have a document to sign at the moment, you can open the Tools menu in Preview, then choose Annotate > Signature > “Create Signature from Built-in iSight…”.

This will bring up a Signature Capture dialog box. Confirm that “Save this signature for use after Preview quits” is checked. Now, take out a piece of paper, and sign it. I recommend using an index card. Hold the piece of paper up to the iSight Camera, and adjust the position of the paper until the camera recognizes and displays your signature. Click on the Accept button to save the signature.

You can have more than one signature available or capture a better version of your signature by accessing Manage Signatures. To do this, click on the Pen icon near the top right, and then the Sig icon, and choose Manage Signatures. Use the + and – signs at the bottom left to add and remove signatures. Clicking the + sign launches the Signature Capture dialogue box again.

Use your signatures in PDFs
To sign a PDF, click on the Pen icon near the top right, and then the Sig icon, and click on the signature you want to use. Then click, hold, and drag across the PDF in the area you want to sign.

If necessary, you can also mark up the PDF with text boxes using the same method by clicking the Aa icon to the left of the Sig icon. Details about how to create text boxes using Preview are included in a previous article.

Use your Signature in the Mail app
Open a PDF that you have signed. Create a screen shot of your signature using Command & Shift & 4 on the keyboard, and dragging across your signature. The screen shot of your signature will be on the desktop.

Now, open the Mail app and select the “Mail” menu, then choose Preferences. Click on Signatures and create a new signature with the + button. Drag the image you created in the previous step from the desktop into the signature, and add any additional info you want below it.

To save and use the signature, drag the signature from the center column to the email account listed on the left. Then, choose the default signature for the email account using the Choose Signature pop-up menu at the bottom.

Now when you compose, forward or reply to an email using the Mail app, your signature will appear automatically.

Use your signature inPagesThe screen shot you captured of your signature in the steps above can be used just about anywhere you would like to place your signature. In Pages, you can use the signature you created by dragging it into the body of your document. After you drag it in, click on the Arrange tab on the top right and choose None from the Text Wrap pop-up menu. Now, you can easily resize and reposition your signature so it appears they way you want.

At this point, you might as well save this as a template, so you have a Pages document with your signature in it saved for future use. From the file menu, choose “Save as Template…”, click the “Add to Template Chooser” button and save it with a name such as Signature.

Having the ability to use your signature in the various apps where it makes sense adds convenience, and stylishly customizes your correspondence.

Well, you wouldn’t be able to apply a signature in the way shown here in the Preview app. However, careful reading shows that you can scan your signature and use it in the Mail and Pages apps. Though anyone can do this with any computer. Just think of it as inserting an image – because that’s all it is. The only thing is that you can’t do it in Preview – but you could use Adobe or Word to open the PDF and place the image file of your signature over that.

While you’re at it you may as well sign a blank cheque and use that in your email signature. What is to prevent a criminal from stealing a copy of your signature and using it to apply for new credit cards, loans or bank account? how about using it to transfer funds out of your bank accounts?

I would hope no one would ever be so stupid to include their actual signature. I would assume someone would have a short form signature for legal purposes and sign their emails with a full name so that you’d have plausible deniability when some illegal activity occurs.

A signature is a mark that is typically used as a form of verifying (or authenticating) ones identity… similar to a password. You wouldn’t share your password so readily would you? It’s also used for showing intent when signing a contract (such as a loan or credit card application).

I have personally seen fraud occur when a criminal was able to copy a signature from a previously signed contract and paste it into a new contract (i.e. a wire request form). I’m sure the same technique has also been used for opening credit accounts.

Signing every email with your signature is a sure way to invite trouble. Who gives this type of advice?

The reason Preview has this feature is to sign editable PDF documents, which are normally legal forms. It’s no accident this feature is not part of Mail or Pages. Your next article should be on how to insert a high-resolution image your ID

And they practically broke this functionality in Mavericks.. When trying to capture the signature with an iSight, you need to search for the right placement of the paper for a minute or two for Preview to actually capture the signature. So annoying, it was working like a charm before. The overall quality of Apple’s late software is just devastating. Everything is filled with bugs now. The fact that Mac OS X and the iLife apps don’t get 5 (some don’t get even 3) stars on the App Store is pretty indicative of that.

The only issue with this is if it’s a secure document, which is when I typically need my signature! Let say my accountant sends me my tax returns and asks me to print out the signature page, sign, then scan back in and email it back to him so he can file it for me. Well, instead of printing, signing and scanning, I want to use this Preview signature instead. But my tax returns are password protected. Preview will let me open the tax returns by putting in my password. It will even let me add my signature. But then I’m stuck – I cannot save it, export it or anything else because it’s password protected. The best I can do is take a screenshot of my signature page, but that image is a bit fuzzy. Am I missing something?

I have followed your instructions, regarding PDF Preview, yet once the signature is not saved after I click “Accept.” I have tried repeatedly, with different types of PDF documents to no avail. Any suggestions?